Yes, why not. Our children need basic facilities AND laptops. Imagine all the kids having it. What great potentials may be unleashed. I took takhti, slate and bag and I am sure our successors need to take laptops. Those harping about basic things first only want to perpetuate the backwardness forever-forever.
RE:mayawati must decide
by crazyguy on Aug 07, 2008 02:11 PM Permalink
That's the reason she is busy collecting percentage from each and every govt tenders decided in UP. A poor lady Politician paying tax in Crores- real picture of nasty cast politics in India. Can anybody tell me her source of income in crores.
IT IS A FOOLISH IDEA TO GIVE LAPTOPS TO SCHOOLCHILDREN. WHAT IS SPECIAL IN A LAPTOP FOR SCHOOLCHILDREN WHICH A TEXTBOOK CAN'T PROVIDE. INDIA IS A COUNTRY WHERE YOU NEED TO CREATE SOFTWARE IN 25 LANGUAGES FOR KIDS TO UNDERSTAND. GOVT SHOULDN'T FALL INTO SUCH IDIOT'S HAND. NOW A OVER SMART CLASS IN URBAN INDIA HAS COME UP WHO WANT TO PUT COMPUTERS TO EVERYTHING MAY BE INTO THEIR SE!X LIFE ALSO. YOU WILL FIND THEM OPENING LAPTOPS EVEN IN RESTAURANTS (MAY BE IN THEIR RESTROOMS ALSO) AND SEARCHING USELESS WEBSITES.
RE:FOOLISH IDEA
by atindra saha on Aug 07, 2008 02:06 PM Permalink
Dear........ to provide text books to every children imagine how may trees would be cut and would cause global warming .Instead give a laptop and the teacher can log on to website to teach and the students can follow.
RE:FOOLISH IDEA
by crazyguy on Aug 07, 2008 02:15 PM Permalink
I have already written about people like you in 2nd para of my earlier post. Don't try to give foolish reasons for bringing computers. Do you know how much dangerous waste computers produce every year? How much electricity- so the global warming will be caused by computers during it's use?
RE:FOOLISH IDEA
by crazyguy on Aug 07, 2008 02:53 PM Permalink
You idiot must be an IT person. For your information I am a Mechanical Engineer contributing to Core Engineering Industry serving core sectors (not always sitting in a AC room and doing data entry for some advanced country). I am a regular user of computer for real reasons and not for an unnecessary showoff. For your additional information I can remember tables upto 12- can U people? AND I HATE BLOODY KARAT and ALSO EQUALLY ALL POLITICAL JOKERS SITTING IN PARLIAMENT.
RE:one laptop per child
by TongInChic on Aug 07, 2008 01:53 PM Permalink
Nothing wrong in exposing our children to computers early. Nothing wrong if some company benefits from this project, so long as India benefits. Being suspicious of foreigners and MNCs belongs to the Nehru - Gandhi area, which set India back by 200 years in 20 years because it developed the sort of mentality which makes India so defensive. We can take aid from a position of strength, like China does - all the time since 20 years.
RE:one laptop per child
by crazyguy on Aug 07, 2008 01:59 PM Permalink
Don't talk rubbish. Do you think china has laptops for all it's schoolchildren? Actually Computer with it's advantages created a class of people who are not willing to sweat, can work only in AC rooms and the day we don't get outsourced job (read beggar's job) from developed countries, India will see it doomsday.
RE:one laptop per child
by TongInChic on Aug 07, 2008 02:12 PM Permalink
Learn to read first, I did not say every child in China has a laptop. I am saying, deal from a position of strength, we have the numbers to be treated with respect. China gets all sorts of aid from the developed countries without ever bending down. That is what we should do.
Please try and read the book called the World is Flat. It might open your mind to some things which are happening in this world.
RE:one laptop per child
by crazyguy on Aug 07, 2008 02:25 PM Permalink
Don't write contradictory statements. If you justify computers with China's stronghold it must link providing laptops to kids otherwise why are you bringing that foolish argument here? Learn to work hard like China- which our computer user urban class is seriously lacking day by day thus spoiling our core industries. I have already read that book and it is not necessary that we agree to everything written in a book. WORLD IS ACTUALLY NOT AT ALL FLAT REALIZE IT VISITING RURAL INDIA.
it will be good if the proper facilities are arranged rather than concentratin on the laptops there are many people who cant afford good schools governmet should look them first later they can think of laptops and other stuff.
RE:Arrange good facilities first
by TongInChic on Aug 07, 2008 01:56 PM Permalink
No, government should not try for equality - this is a communist approach. Just how much money will be spent by the government on these laptops? If some children can benefit, they should not be held back. At least some Indians will progress!
Some of the opinions are very correct in saying that Latop and electronic gadgets are not necessity but food, medicine, education, job opportunities, good roads, electricity and such things are the basic needs. At the same time I feel that noone looks at them because there s no commercial interest associated. One who is giving laptop for cheap is not doing it for betterment of society but see this country as a huge market where items can be sold in bulk. It is the job of politicans to 1. Make sure that population growth rate goes in negative. 2. Make sure that pepole get necessary services mentioned above. 3. Put law and order in place. 4. Get corruption out of the system. 5. Think of nation than particular party / community. Look at China and look at us.....shame on us....we cant even organize Asiad and China is organizing worlds best Olympic game.
If the adults could benefit from the computers the children surely can too! Objections are like shadows. Look at them from the light source and they are clearer. We can discuss the pros and cons - the age, the groups, the price, the configuration... Let us not be confused by bringing other issues that are irrelevant. Avoid imitating our politicians who have indoctrinated us with all isms... the fear of everything that is western. Face it, we cant have a perfect school, educational system, basic amenities or society... Aren't we smart enough to assimilate the goodness and discard the unwanted. Have an open mind to see what is good and what is bad!!
RE:OLPC & objections
by birendra varma on Aug 07, 2008 01:46 PM Permalink
Dear Sir, i completely agree with your optimistic view.I am not opposed to laptops but if it is made available for free to the end user nothing like it ...!
RE:OLPC & objections
by Ajay Kumar on Aug 07, 2008 02:01 PM Permalink
Do they have sufficient books & copies? If not, how the computer will help? Its not help its business
Instead of this Kidtop box, a special device which has a bigger screen and keyboard and connectivity(Wi-fi) to a server on the school network may be given. The laptop need not have any local storage and processing unit. This will reduce the cost of the unit and will help to use the laptop only for the intended purpose.
Please understand Computer is not everything. India has declared free Primary Education as compulsory but a good number of our Legislators and Parliamentarians are not educated. A majority of our population are still illeterate. Child labour exists purely due to poverty. Not that when Laptop is cheaper everyone will start buying one. Roti, Kapada, Makan is the basic need, not Cellphone, Laptop and Pizza. Urban and Semi Urban India is hardly 10% of India. 90% of India is rural without even proper roads to connect and there are no regular buses, trains, electricity connections, potable water, sanitation, etc. Children travel many kilometers to reach the nearest school in many areas. Education is costly and free education is a myth where neither education is imparted nor is it free. In the first place, start educating the people, make basic needs available everywhere, then talk about laptops and palmtops. One who is spending Rs.20000 today may spend Rs.5000 more and buy one more gadget but where a family gets a full meal once in six months cannot do that. Our priority is not Laptop - cheaper or costlier. For instance, the number of backward communities have increased inspite of reservation over the six decades but we claim great development. Let us not live in myth. Each educated person should try to educate atleast two uneducated persons. Atleast give what you can to improve the lot of needy. Giving is not for publicity like politicians, it is for our satisfaction.
RE:Computer is not everything.
by yogesh soni on Aug 07, 2008 01:34 PM Permalink
dude you did not understand the article.. the aim is that government should buy the laptops and give them away to children. There are many educational softwares that are really good. Search for Alice project on google. Well if children have to walk many Kms to attend the school then having a laptop that is connected to internet will come handy, won't it. I admit this is far fetched in the future but that's how it should be.
RE:Computer is not everything.
by TongInChic on Aug 07, 2008 02:02 PM Permalink
Unfortunately, economics does not understand this. A communist would not like to have rich people at all, they would rather redistribute the wealth so that everybody has basic needs. But when you do that, there are no savings and no investments and no progress.
In countries where the distribution of wealth is unequal, the rich have surplus money to invest and that leads to factories, roads, and jobs and incomes.
This sounds rather heartless but that is how economics works. If we say, nobody should get laptops till all children can get a good education, it would mean nobody gets a laptop for the next 30 years. That is the reality and the moral dilemma that we are facing.
RE:Computer is not everything.
by yogesh soni on Aug 07, 2008 02:22 PM Permalink
you make good point mate..go search for participatory economics in google
